Remember, if something is wrong with the auger, it AIN'T gonna be pretty to dig out 7 tons to access the 'problem'. I've seen 275 and 330 old oil tanks used....filled with an auger or conveyor, augured out the bottom. I sure like the pics, and that lets the mind run wild. ...flexible 3" ......or 4".......

I believe the poster is looking for outside storage ,and a bigger volume than gravity bins as he stated,a semi-trailer load .Phil,whether you use fuel tanks or a smallish silo or grain bin ,you will probably have to make a hopper bottom to work with coals weight,just an ex- farmers thoughts. I'm not referring to 275 gal tanks either,as I think you were thinking of 3000-5000 gal tanks.

Auger into bottom grain wagon would have a smaller door opening than the regular one. large enough to fit the auger into with a door to shut off supply. If auger were pulled. Total lost coal shouldn't be much more than 5lbs.

Don, I have seen dozens of large silos used for other purposes, but IMO it would be difficult to stop flowing coal if it were 20 feet high. I support the idea, and would like to hear more about it.I have been around gravity silos used for aggregates for 50 years, and have a healthy respect for solids that flow rather freely. It sure makes sense, and if cost effective, a wonderful idea.

Last edited by whistlenut on Mon. Feb. 24, 2014 2:42 am, edited 1 time in total.

whistlenut wrote:Don, I have seen dozens large silos used for other purposes, but IMO it would be difficult to stop flowing coal if it were 20 feet high. I support the idea, and would like to hear more about it.I have been around gravity silos used for aggregates for 50 years, and have a healthy respect for solids that flow rather freely. It sure makes sense, and if cost effective, a wonderful idea.

That's why I was onto the gravity wagons, and even 2 or 3 of them. First, they would be easy to cover as they are rectangular, second they are after all....gravity operated, third, if they were installed as I stated......no.2 would feed no. 1(or 3 , 2, 1 whatever works best. Amount in bottom bin would depend on placement of bin no. 2, Gravity feed wagons have the slope in the bottom, if no. 2 was cut into no. 1 just above the offsets, bin 1 could hold as little as 5 tons........I think you understand if you've done corn in gravity fed wagons.

Then we go to the door on the wagon. A typical door is roughly 18 inches square, and you slide it up or down to increase or decrease flow. But with an auger installed, you need a sliding door with a round hole on the inside panel. The door will be about 12x12, hole is say 7 inches for auger? Slide door down as auger is pulled(anyone who's done corn knows it's a 'beech' but can be done. Last fall I helped my BIL and only lost 5lbs of corn.

And even though gravity fed wagons are rated at 40lbs per square foot, a few extra pieces of angle welded to it can raise it to 60lbs fairly quickly.

Phil May wrote:StingSend me a pic.I was thinking 8'diameter x 20'high with a hopper on bottom. I am going to auger it into the inside bin. The trouble with using the loader to move is that you always spill. As much as I like coal, it is filthy and I hate the mess. I want a contained system. I am most concerned with freezing. I still like the idea of a feed bin. I am going to do some more checking to see if I can buy one rugged enough for coal. I would have to epoxy paint it on the inside so it would not rust.

Phil, will a semi-trailer load fit in a 8'x20' bin ?? or 2 bins ? you will probably have to build your own bottom "cone" or a concrete base to stand tank up on end with a tunnel thru the middle to install the auger & provide access to the opening.You can use a manual or powered shut- off gate for the hole which would not have to be all that big to flow enough coal for the auger capacity. The right size/design of the hopper cone would eliminate worries about a large spill if moving auger out for repairs or to use elsewhere .You should be able to put grating in the bottom to let the water out,that idea would work best if the silo was filled with enough time to dry out b4 freezing temps hit.

The best system I ever worked on was a boiler below grade - and the coal pile above but to the side.That coal pile was not much more than a small grain bin filled with an old 8n Ford front end loader

The magic black gravel fell out of a hole controlled by a door similar in size and design to those used for dust control it fell into a simple rain gutter - it flowed down that incline as needed - fell out of the pile above as it flowed down that gutter to just over the material feed tube of the boiler -- and was angered into the burn pot

if any one part of this delivery system failed - it was a simple mater to deal with maybe two 5 gallon buckets of free coal

as Whistelnut shows - shoveling 22 tons off an auger in a silo will not make your day

There is no reason to have to shovel 22 tons off the auger,growing up on a farm & working with farm equipment/machinery most of my life does have its benefits in knowing the simple possibilities . Sting,just as you gave the example of the small sized hole/door,the same similar set up can be used under a bin,with out more than 100# being lost. Think of a hand fed stove hopper but add a shut off to the "bin" hopper,now what is left in the stove would be the auger hopper. Coal can't feed out unless coal is taken away below,a slide control valve will stop the "overflow",in case auger needs pulled for repair or ....

I just did some math 50lb/cuft coal. 60lb/bu beans or wheat are within 2lbs/cuft. A regular grain bin should take it. I will Definitely paint it inside and out with some epoxy paint. wet coal is some of the most corrosive stuff I have dealt with.